His Penny-Pinching, My Power

she were checking into a luxury resort. She surveyed the guest

to do, I suppos

ther's arrival as a victory.

a few sheets of paper. "We need to

looking grim. I had walked them through my plan last night, and they wer

voice crisp and businesslike. "As yo

page, his smile quickly

$800. Internet: $80. Sarah, this is your par

e four adults and one baby living here. I' ve calculated our share. According to our fifty-fifty agreement, Tom, our half of the household expen

t were crawling with insects. "Thi

Which brings me to the next item." I pointed to a line on the

"A care fee? For your own parents?

sand dollars a month. My parents have been providing free, 24/7 childcare, cooking, and cleaning for a

red. "You ungrateful girl! Af

xcept take? My wife and I have opened our home, spent our money, and given our time to support our daughter and granddaughter. Yo

atitude for my paren

looks like. You want to split costs? Fine. Let' s split all the costs. The roof over your head

le when it meant he could nickel-and-dime me for baby supplies, but the moment the pri

bruptly her chair scraped loudly against the

, and this is the tha

er. "If you want to be treated like a cherished grandmother, then act like one. If you want to

r the chore chart? And please, explain the standards. We wouldn'

"Of course. Eleanor, you' ll be on bathroom duty this week. And

he stormed out of the room and we heard her slam the d

Fine by me. That evening, I cooked a beautiful roast chicken, my father' s favorite. The aroma filled the hou

king confused. "Where' s

the household grocery fund. According to my records, that' s just me and my parents. The

e of chicken and put

d a chance to go to the

ridge," I said sweetly. "I' m sure it' s still good.

yed a hot, delicious meal. The line had been drawn. This was my house, my rule